Escaping the Past
by Ryla
Summary: It starts as a kidnapping but soon the boys learn there's more. They are going to get thier own back, but what can you do against an enemy that sees you coming?
1. Phantom Enemies Part A

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Gundam Wing , anything else Gundam or concepts taken thereof nor am I making any money off of this whatsoever. This fic is meant only for fun, all credit for aforementioned characters go to their various Japanese owners, creators, and companies none of whom I can think to name right at the moment except Bandai.... who all did such a good job that I need more Gundam Wing which is how this fic came into being! See? It's not my fault!:) 

PS if things are confusing for you, try reading the prequel 'Catching the Past'. If they're still confusing, email me and I'll try to set you straight. I have no beta reader other than my brother sooooo........

  


  
  
  
  


Chapter 1

Phantom Enemies Part A

"Duo, will you please hold still?!" Sally Po requested forcefully as Duo fidgeted yet again. She was trying to examine his eyes but it wasn't going very well. 

Duo subdued a sigh and did his best not to flinch as Sally again tried to examine his left eye. He couldn't help it, the light was too strong for his sensitive eyes and he blinked, flinching as his eye watered. 

Ever since he'd 'recovered' from that toxin (explained in the prequel 'Catching the Past') he'd had trouble. First the cataracts and now this. The cataracts had indeed cleared up on their own as Sally had hoped but then Duo had slowly started to notice that he could see better than ever in the dark and that light had begun to bother him, often being too bright for comfort. It could be really annoying (like when he was trying to sleep) although mostly Duo enjoyed the increase in his ability to move through the dark. 

Hilde didn't seem to think it was so great although who could blame you when your boyfriend seemed to enjoy popping out of nowhere to scare the bejabers out of you. Duo got no end of amusement out of it and in fact he thought Hilde didn't mind as much as she let on seeing as how it had developed into a sort of competition between them; with him seeing how well he could sneak up on her and with her seeing how fast she could detect and clobber him for it. Juvenile maybe but hey, as one wise person said... growing up was mandatory, maturing was voluntary. Duo firmly believed that working a job day in and day out caused your brain to stagnate and Hilde was his partner in many, many things. Which automatically made her his favorite target to her resigned amusement.

Sally sighed and sat back looking at him in frustration. Duo shrugged helplessly in wide eyed innocence.

"I'm trying Sally, really I am." he protested. She gave him The Look and then sighed again in frustration.

"I believe you Duo but I'm not getting a clear look see here. Let's try again. I'll try something different this time." she told him reaching for a special colored penlight cap that she'd laid out just in case. 

"Ok, steady Duo." she told him and leaned over his face to try again. They both jumped as the door banged open. And excited and distressed Preventer in a rumpled uniform hung part way in the door.

"Duo Maxwell? I was told to find you on the double sir!" the young Preventer told him slightly out of breath. Sally straightened slowly and with a peculiar look on her face that all the newer Preventers knew to run from, turned towards him. 

"Brin Carey is it?" Sally said in a oh-so-nice voice. The young man flinched as his face paled. But he stood, or rather hung his ground and he tried to catch his breath. 

Nodding emphatically Lt Carey saluted Sally Po as he straightened up and to attention. 

"Yes ma'am! Lady Une sent me to fetch Mr Maxwell! Ma'am!" he barked standing stiffly.

"Well? What's wrong?" Duo asked sharply as he slipped out from under Sally slightly annoyed that although he was the cause of the commotion he had yet to find out what the problem was.

"Uh, Mr Maxwell, sir, Lady Une wants you in her office ASAP... something about Mr Winner sir!" Lt Carey barked out. 

Duo slid into his shirt and snatched a pair of sunglasses off the side table with a scowl on his face as Sally growled to herself in disgruntlement. As he passed the young Lt, Sally thought she heard him mutter something to do with being called 'sir'. Sally's lips twitched reflexively to herself, Duo would always be Duo.

Moving through the door to Lady Une's office with an easy, deceptive saunter; Duo spotted a chair and headed for it spinning it around on one leg to sit on it backwards and propping his arms on the back of the chair.

Lady Une and Wufei were already turned towards him as he entered and from the looks on their faces it couldn't be good.

"Well, what did Quatre get himself into this time? Must be bad if he can't handle it himself." Duo tried to get the conversation going.

Lady Une looked at him as Wufei just stood by the corner of her desk stiffly with no expression on his face.

"It's a little more than just Quatre, I'm afraid." Lady Une replied then sat down to clasp her hands in front of her and lean slightly towards Duo.

"We just got word that Quatre was taken by an unknown group of men and that there was a girl with him. The girl was identified as Hilde." Lady Une laid the facts out emotionlessly as she shuffled through some papers and notes on her desk to come up with the one she was looking for.

Duo sat frozen in his chair as he just looked at Lady Une, an unexplainable dread sitting in the pit of his stomach. After the last time, when he thought he was going to die, he and Hilde had just relaxed and enjoyed each others company; taking the time to treasure each other's presence. Thus they hadn't really talked about the one thing most pressing on Duo's mind. Absently he fingered the ring he'd carried around on him since he'd gotten it three weeks ago.

"How did this happen and where?" Duo asked finally in a deadly quiet voice.

Lady Une handed him the report in her hand and he scanned thoroughly.

"So you think this was a case of mistaken identity?" Duo asked finally with a sort of weary irony that fate had once again played him a dirty hand. He looked up at Wufei with something of a plea in his eyes. Wufei looked stolidly back and shrugged.

"Our witness heard them call Hilde 'Vazera'. Once we figured out that there was a connection between Hilde and Quatre's kidnaping, and a case I happened to be investigating, I was able to find a picture of this Vazera. A very bad picture to be sure but it's there. They could be identical twins at first glance." Wufei replied.

"So how did Quatre get caught up in it if they were after Hilde?" Duo asked in puzzlement.

"Apparently, our eye witness said that Quatre walked in on them as they were abducting Hilde. We were wondering why he happened to be there but our witness said he was holding Hilde's handbag. We're guessing it was sheer coincidence." Wufei told him, his face darkening finally.

"And just who is this witness who's being so helpful?" Duo asked with a frown.

"A little street urchin called Kit. Apparently, you two have a habit of giving handouts to certain unfortunates." Wufei said blankly with a ghost of a gleam in his eyes. Duo flushed under Lady Une's raised eyebrow.

"So did you get a fix on their position?" Duo asked determined to ignore the implications of the statement. It wasn't any of their business what he and Hilde chose to do with their surplus of food or other miscellaneous stuff.

"No. In spite of the information we got from Kit, we have been unable to track them down. This has been typical of the people I'm investigating. We think they have been involved in a full dozen suspect operations but we have been unable to pin them down. It's as if they know we're coming. And they leave no trace behind them. It has been most frustrating." Wufei said his evident frustration coloring his tone as he scowled. He never could settle for failure.

"I see. Then I'll need the first shuttle to L2 available Lady Une, and all the information you can possibly get together. I have people to see and places to go where you'd stand out like a green thumb in December." Duo told them levelly as he got up.

"I was hoping you'd say that. We already have you booked for a flight home!" Lady Une said with satisfaction.

"Wufei has been doing an outstanding job but with the new developments, we thought it would be a good idea that you be brought in. This is your home ground, you know it better than anyone here." Lady Une told him even as she got up to usher him out the door. 

Duo grunted to himself as he headed out adjusting his sunglasses over his sensitive eyes. Lady Une had played him like a musical instrument. He didn't mind though, in light of what had happened. He couldn't afford to mind and in reality, Duo was just glad she was on their side.

  
  


*****

  
  


Hilde moaned slightly to herself as she came to. She couldn't figure out what had happened at first, her mind foggy and scattered as she fought to collect herself. 

Everything was starting to come back to her... the ambush in her living room (how the heck had they gotten in? Duo had installed that system himself not trusting anyone else to do it, but then he had said often enough that no matter how good the system was there was always someone could figure a way around it), Quatre returning unexpectedly her purse in his hands, watching helplessly as he was taken by surprise and struck from behind by the muscle bound jerk and tossed in the sedan with her, and then the smell of some sort of anesthesia. 

She'd never hear the end of this from Duo. But how do you guard against something you aren't expecting and things had just settled down good from the last fiasco. They'd thought that chapter of their lives done and over with.

Quatre... Duo... where were they? Where they ok? What was going on?

Hilde shakily pushed herself up fighting off the after affects of the knockout drug they'd used on her. And just who were these people anyway? She had questions that needed answers and she wanted them now! In perfect timing, she heard the door being fumbled open from the other side. It looked as if she'd get her wish.

  
  
  
  
  
  


A. N. Hello folks. Back again, but this story is going to be a bit of a change of pace I think. I also wanted to know... I can do this story two ways. Post what I have and take forever getting the next part out, or wait until I have the whole/most of it done and then start posting. 

I'm slow cuz everything has to be perfect:) or as close as I get anyway and it could take me a LOOONNNGGG time to get this done starting with this which is only the prologue:( Especially if my life doesn't slow down any:( So cheers for everyone who was so kind last time and I hope I can keep up the style!! And I'm going to try harder to keep the boys in character and put more of each one into the story, to me a good Gundam Wing story isn't good unless it's got all of 'em in it, yay!:) Ja na!


	2. Phantom Enemies Part B

Phantom Enemies Part B

  
  


Two men entered, dressed in subdued gray uniforms. They fell into place on each side of her and grabbed her arms, pulling her up and forcefully helping her along when her unsteady legs couldn't keep up.

Finally reaching their destination, Hilde was shoved into a room that looked like it had been quite comfortable at one time but was showing the years of wear and tear and neglect. 

Hilde was abruptly forced to sit down beside Quatre whom she was glad to see was composed and in one piece more or less; if you discounted the bruising coloring his fair complexion on the right side of his face. Or the stiff posture which was rather atypical of him. 

Even in the middle of a tense business negotiation he could make a show of being relaxed and confident. After facing down mobile suits, facing down a group of business peers was a piece of cake, especially for one raised for the job. 

Turning her attention to the man and woman standing by an old fashioned volcano lamp that stretched from the floor to shoulder height shedding a subdued red shifting glow over the room that did nothing for the decor, Hilde scrutinized the people responsible for disrupting her life. 

The young man who looked to be in his twenties, had a very unsettling intense look about his face. He had blond hair so pale it was almost white and eyes that reflected the pale icy blue of frozen lakes and had about that much warmth.

The young woman looked to be... well... young, fragile with equally pale blond hair and eyes that were clouded to a milky hue.

Hilde took a second look at the young woman realizing that she must be blind. Then she wondered if she had guessed wrong when the young woman looked directly at her, then turned to the man, stretched up on her toes and murmured something in his ear. The young man's face twisted in dawning anger and he turned on Hilde's guards.

"You fools!! This is not Vasera! What were you doing, sleepwalking?" he rounded on them furiously. The guards, both of them who looked as if they could take the young man and snap him in half with little effort, cringed back under his fury.

Hilde thought she heard a faint sound of something from Quatre beside her who had yet to say a word. Then the young woman leaned over to the man and murmured something else into his ear. 

He paused, looked skeptically at Quatre, then a slow and frightening smile dawned on his face as he looked at Quatre appraisingly.

Hilde threw a nervous glance at Quatre and noted to her alarm that he had lost some color and was that sweat beading up on his forehead?

"Kill the girl and put this one back in his cell." The man ordered sharply. "We may find a use for him even though you fouled up your assignment so abysmally." 

"Wait!" Quatre spoke up sharply, definitely shaken by something Hilde couldn't figure out.

"She's with me. You kill her and you'll get no cooperation from me! Nothing, do you understand?" Quatre spoke sharply, demand in his voice and in his eyes. He matched stares with the man, pushing as hard as he dared. The man stared at Quatre narrowly with assessing eyes and then abruptly turned away shrugging with no lessening of confidence.

"Then take them both and put them in our 'special' rooms... for now." the unknown young man stated arrogantly and walked out the door with the young woman trailing behind. There was something very odd about that girl Hilde thought to herself as they were jerked up and shoved out the very door so recently vacated by the two in command.

It wasn't until afterward that Hilde realized she had gotten absolutely nowhere in her quest for answers. Sitting in the soundproofed and padded room that made her feel almost as if she should be wearing a straight jacket that she'd been shoved into, Hilde started to get angry with a passion that ran deep. She hadn't asked for any of this and so far she'd been tossed around as if she was a puppet to do their bidding and no more. 

And yet there was fear too. There was something creepy about those two and whatever it was had been enough to cause Quatre to react which was a bad sign to Hilde; a very bad sign.

Restlessly, Hilde scanned the room once again for anything that she could use but there was nothing as there had been nothing when she'd looked the first time. If there was one thing Hilde hated, it was not being able to do anything.

So Hilde sat there in the dimly lit room, eyes narrowed with an anger that was, for the moment, overshadowing her fear and mentally reached out in an unconscious wish for Duo to hurry. She had no doubt that he'd come, the question was when. No telling how long till that man decided she wasn't worth keeping around even though Quatre had won for the moment.

Elsewhere in the building, a young blind girl cocked her head at something only she could hear.

  
  


*****

Trowa was restless. He wasn't quite sure why. The circus was thriving; they'd had good crowds, good performances, and cooperative officials. No one had gotten into a major argument lately and he'd been content with his 'family' and friends.

Trowa reflectively took his injured right arm out of it's sling and tried to move it through a full range of motion. He still couldn't do it. Sally had said he'd injured some ligaments and nerves and had told him that it would take a long time to heal. Maybe that's why he was restless. He had yet to be able to take up his normal duties. Everyone made things easy on him and it was driving him nuts slowly but surely. He did not take well to babying when he'd done things for himself for so long. Catherine had seen it and tried not to baby him but she was only partly successful, the mother instinct being deeply ingrained in her character.

Which was also the reason why Trowa was currently sitting by the lion's cages keeping company with his second favorite, the one called Mistress. He'd tried to do the dishes and after dropping the second plate, Catherine had been unable to sit by and had shooed him out while she took care of it herself.

Trowa sighed to himself. For some reason, Quatre and the others had been much on his mind lately. And last night he'd dreamed that Quatre was somewhere in a dark featureless void looking up at him expectantly as if he was trying to tell Trowa something. 

For what and why Trowa had no idea but the dream wasn't leaving him alone. The last time he'd felt like that was when he'd had amnesia and Quatre had taken off to fight by himself to protect the colony. That time, Trowa had told Catherine that Quatre was calling out to him. She'd told him that no one was calling but he knew better. He was unable to say what it was or exactly what it was telling him... all he knew was that it was. This unusual restlessness had the same eerie feel to it.

Maybe he should find a comm unit and check in with Lady Une for an update on his... what were they? Acquaintances? Friends? Something more, something less maybe. More than war comrades definitely. Yes, maybe friends was the word he was looking for.

Trowa had taken to thinking a lot lately. Finally having the luxury of living was showing him how much he was lacking still in normal human existence among friends. He had lived a good part of his life empty of emotion and then he'd met Quatre. He'd found something to live for and someone to go back to in Catherine and his circus 'family' and he had taken on the task of adapting to normal life seriously. Which also meant he would protect the right to do so when the occasion called for it. 

Trowa made up his mind. He'd not had much of a chance to keep up with current events on this backwater colony, it would be good to bring himself up to date. But before he could put thought into action, the shadow of a stranger fell over him. Looking up at the woman coolly, Trowa stood up, putting himself face to face with the stranger.

"Trowa Barton I presume?" the woman asked.

"Who?."Trowa asked blankly. If the occasion called for it Nanashi could rise again and he did not know this woman nor had the least reason to trust her. 

"Lady Une sent me. We need to talk." she said simply after a split second body scan. She'd done her homework. 

Trowa looked at her and shrugged faintly. She smiled back sweetly.

'Catch up on current events indeed. Looks like they've caught up with me.' was Trowa's main thought as he led the way. Catherine was not going to be happy.

*****

Wufei walked down the street mentally grumbling to himself. He didn't want to do this, he had no patience with subterfuge, preferring to leave that side of things to Trowa or Duo or even Heero. With Duo and Heero working at things from L2 though and Trowa not physically fit yet he was the only one of the pilots left. 

Running a hand through his loose hair, Wufei ran his hands down his pants. He wasn't wearing his usual attire. This time it was old, torn, and faded blue jeans, black cowboy boots, black silk shirt that was open partway down his chest and an old, scuffed 'bomber' jacket (whatever that was) that had a logo written in English with the picture of a crazy dog someone had told him was a 'Chihuahua' on it. He also had a gun tucked into the back of his shirt but had no intention of using it. Sally had tried to get him to use a bandana or a hat and some jewelry but he'd flatly refused. He was what he was and that would have to be enough. Sally hadn't been happy but had been secretly grateful that Wufei had gone as far as he had. 

Entering the hangout of the one lead he'd managed to pick up, Wufei entered the club, distaste already curling the corner of his mouth. There were people scattered about clumped around various pool tables and tables of card games. Illegal no doubt but he wasn't here for that.

Scanning the room through a haze of foul smelling smoke as he made his way to the counter, Wufei spotted his man. 

A very slender man with dirty blond hair was playing pool in the corner. He was wearing a muscle shirt that showed how much muscle he didn't have that looked like it was on it's last life and leather pants tucked into square toed biker's boots. Wufei spotted what was probably a knife tucked into the left boot. 

After a moments discreet observation, Wufei could tell the man was also cocky and had an ego that seemingly was misplaced in such a slender frame. He wasn't particularly graceful in his movements so Wufei figured the man was running on borrowed importance rather than the confidence physical training gives you. Importance borrowed from his boss, likely. This man was a lackey, nothing more.

Wufei didn't like him already. But a job was a job and at stake were the lives of people that Wufei didn't care to see snuffed out even though several people would have been surprised to discover that little fact.

Drifting that way with his untouched drink in hand, Wufei observed the two players. Several minutes later it was obvious that his target, whose name was Anton Suyevski, was losing. Anton was not a graceful loser. One game later and Anton was demanding a rematch. Upon losing that game, Anton also lost his temper and accused the other man of cheating.

Mere moments after that, the other man had Wufei's target around the throat with his feet off the floor. Anton somehow managed to pull his knife and slashed the man across his face.

The man dropped Anton, howling as he clawed at his left eye and the nasty slash that went across his face. Anton lurched to his feet choking for air and froze as the man's buddies started closing in on him. Apparently, Anton was not very popular around here Wufei figured as he sighed internally and put his glass down. This was his cue for action.

"This is a little lopsided, neh?." Wufei said as he stepped in the middle of the group and in front of Anton dropping into a slight crouch.

Anton looked surprised for a split second and then crowed with a renewal of importance.

"Yeah, dudes, like I said... I got some hot connections now! So ya'll just better back down and back off or we'll whup the lot of ya!" Anton very unwisely spouted the very thing to inflame the situation. 

Wufei hadn't gotten to the first step of his plan and already he wanted very much to be rid of this blathering idiot.

Then Wufei realized that he'd let himself slip a bit as the first of the rowdies lunged, they had done their talking while he'd been thinking and he hadn't heard a word of it.

Wufei met the first man head on, avoiding the man's initial blow entirely while he rammed a reverse punch into his solar plexus. The man doubled over leaving his neck conveniently open for an elbow strike that laid him out in moments. That stopped the crowd for a moment at the swiftness of their leaders defeat, but then they surged forward afresh thinking that sheer numbers would bring the two down. 

Weaving and ducking in and around the tables and chairs, Wufei managed to keep them at bay for the moment. 

Tiring of this, he blocked the nearest man's swipe with a pool cue and in a blur of moves had taken it away from the man, and was using it forcefully on the man's hands, head, stomach and groin ending in a stretched out stance with the pool cue at the ready behind him. 

The man he'd pounded on staggered back trying to clutch all his wounds at once and having had enough of this, fled. Three of his buddies charged at the same time, figuring Wufei couldn't possibly go three directions at once.

Exactly one forward somersault and one minute later, Wufei had two pool cues and the three rowdies were on the floor, two of them out and one trying to crawl away. 

Wufei staggered slightly as a weight dropped onto his back but that didn't last long as he dropped his sticks, managed to get a hold on the man and leaned forward abruptly sending the man flying with a crash into the bar across the smallish room.

The two that were left, looked at the man who had crashed into the bar and then back at Wufei who hadn't bothered to pick up his sticks and had settled into a ready stance, hands at the ready. The two looked one more time at the man on the floor by the bar and then at Wufei's rather slim but muscled build. That amount of power was more than they wanted to mess with, and Wufei wasn't even breaking a sweat. Backing away slowly, they didn't even pause to pick up their companions before they split. 

All the other patrons who had stopped what they were doing to watch went back to what they were doing stepping around and over prone bodies and wreckage from the fight. Surprisingly enough, the damage had been kept to a minimum.

Anton swaggered up to him and slapped him on the back or tried to as Wufei slipped the hand without seeming to.

"Way to go, dude! That was totally awesome!" Anton raved even as he pretended to inspect his conspicuously clean blade. He was clueless, Wufei decided. The man probably hadn't done a thing after slashing his attacker across the eyes other than hide behind the nearest table. 

Wufei started to mutter a reply under his breath but he was interrupted by the manager walking up to him rather gingerly.

"And just who is going to pay for all this?" he asked the two waving his hand at the scattered and broken pool cues, pieces of chairs and shattered glass.

Anton puffed up like a rooster getting red in the face but before he could say anything Wufei had pulled out his wallet and started counting out money, a sour look on his face.

Wufei left, not wanting to hang around any longer than he had too but even as he walked away, he could sense Anton on his tail and sighed inwardly. This was what he'd been aiming for but it didn't mean he had to like it.

"Yo, dude, that stuff you were doing was so cool!" Anton had fallen into place beside Wufei.

"Hunh." Wufei grunted. 

"Hey, man, really, you ever thought of putting your talent to good use? 'Cuz I know some guys who'd love to have ya!" Anton asked.

"As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of getting a job." Wufei grunted.

"You come with me man, I can do you better than any nine to five! Just stick with me, dude, and you'll go places!" Anton continued. And continued... on and on about his great connections and the amount of influence he had and what a great guy he was in general.

'This is just too easy.' Wufei thought glumly, shuddering at the idea of spending the next who knew how long with this... this... person as Anton took the lead telling him that he was going to meet with a friend of his in an hour and no doubt about it, Wufei would be set for life.

"Hey, dude! Wanna drink?" Anton magnanimously offered him a mostly full bottle of... something.

"No." Wufei said curtly.

"Dude, it's the best!" Anton said taking a swig and shoving it under Wufei's nose a second time. He really was clueless.

"I said no." Wufei growled.

Anton stopped and looked at him narrowly, suspicion finally lighting his eyes.

"Ok... I get it man. You're too good for a friendly drink. I get it." Anton said in an abrupt change of attitude.

Wufei cringed inside. He was this close to ruining his chance at the only lead they'd had in a month of investigation.

"It's not that..." he said while a little voice inside his head was saying 'that's exactly it'.

Seemingly as though from a distance, he saw Anton proffer the bottle a third time and his own hand reluctantly taking it. He saw himself taking a moderately steady pull at the bottle while Anton watched with narrowed eyes. He watched himself control the coughing from the burning liquid that was sloshing down his throat and Anton's face as it cleared, a proud smile blossoming as he slapped Wufei on the back and took his turn at the bottle. 

'After this guy... I'll never look at Maxwell the same again! Compared to this guy, Maxwell's a joy; he at least knows when to quit! Just think of the mission... the mission... the mission...', if he repeated it to himself enough times it might stave off insanity by a couple of days!

  
  


*****

  
  


He walked off the shuttle, hat in place and long coat wrapped snugly about him; his hair safely hidden from view tucked away inside his clothes. He really didn't want to be noticed. What he had to do needed a low profile. 

An hour later he was making his way through territory that was still familiar even though he hadn't been back for quite a while.

Ducking into the Pot 'N Kettle, Duo grinned crookedly to himself at the memories that floated through his mind. Looking around, he noticed quite a few patrons that he recognized. Things hadn't changed that much after all since he'd been here last he reflected.

A faintly nostalgic grin on his face, he headed for the kitchen door only to be intercepted by a large black man with an eye patch. 

"Watcha want?" he growled eyeing Duo as if he had already weighed Duo in the balance and found him wanting. Duo straightened to his full height, he had never liked it when people presumed and in a perverse sort of way he enjoyed turning their preconceptions upside down. When he had time...

"I'm an old friend of Grendy's. If you'd be so kind as to tell her that Shinigami is here..." Duo stated pointedly staring cockily up at the husky black man.

That look got them every time. The large black man stared at him in narrow distaste as if he were on the verge of telling this human garbage to take a hike but got hold of himself and reluctantly turned towards a door tucked into a cul de sac off the kitchen.

Duo paused just long enough for the man to get well on his way and then slipped silently after him, enjoying the sensation of heightened senses as he slipped into an old and well known persona that came directly from his checkered past.

The man with the patch moved into the little room where a woman was standing by a well worn desk shuffling papers with her back to the door.

"'Scuse me Ms Grendy, there's a young punk wants ta see you, he claims he knows ya..." the black man started.

"... and if I was one of the Shisuri boys you'd be dead by now. Getting soft?" Duo spoke from behind the man. 

The black man whirled in angry surprise but the woman just laughed as she turned around.

The man started forward, menacingly reaching into a pocket with one hand. He didn't get two steps before the woman stopped him.

"It's all right, Gar, he is an old friend. Oh, and not to spoil your fun Duo, but I was aware of you the entire time. Mitch spotted you and warned me." Grendy smiled at him warmly, her amusement at Duo's mischievous bent apparent.

Duo grinned even as he thumbed his nose at her in response to her remark.

Grendy had been able to read him like a book almost from day one. He'd known her for a long time and had developed a deep admiration and respect for her. 

She was one of a kind, respected by friends and enemies alike. She was an uncanny judge of character and had a warm heart which allowed her to enjoy people for who they were. But there was also a streak of pure steel in her that showed when the occasion called for it. Most people avoided a second exposure.

"Speaking of Mitch, is he around? I need to talk to him. It's important." Duo asked Grendy looking around.

Grendy's face fell in disappointment.

"Oh, Duo, don't tell me you're in trouble again!" she protested throwing her hands up in the air.

Duo grinned at her in rather dark amusement,"What do you mean 'again'? You have no faith in me whatsoever... of course I'm in trouble again!! But I'll fix that as soon as I catch up with the SOB's. But hey, I didn't start it!"

"Humph. You never do, but somehow you're in the middle of it just the same!" Grendy said disapprovingly. Then a smile started to tug at the corners of her mouth turning into a full fledged grin. Shaking her head she told Duo where to find Mitch and waved him on his way. 

The Pot 'N Kettle was a fairly large establishment for that part of town with the café and bar in the front and the office and living quarters in the back. 

In the back was where Duo found Mitch in a dimly lit room. Mitch had evidently settled in for good finally as the room looked like what Duo had always thought Mitch's room would look like. 

Mitch's electronic equipment was piled around a table that took up one whole side of the room. There was also a tousled bed, an end table that held the remains of a smashed alarm clock and two chairs; one Mitch was sitting on and the other was stacked full of ragged books. 

Mitch had his feet up on the one cleared spot on his desk that was full of monitors, keyboards, computers, papers, bits and pieces of electronic equipment, wire ends and little tools and other paraphernalia; some of it legal, a lot of it not.

Several monitors were, at the moment, showing a nice layout of the Pot 'N Kettle and the immediate grounds outside; security cameras shifting view every little bit. One might think, from looking at it, that there was a money vault full of gold, jewels or something equally valuable being guarded here. There wasn't. This was Mitch's hobby and his rather warped idea of fun.

Well, it didn't hurt to see the enemy coming either. It wasn't easy to take Mitch by surprise as Duo well knew. They had for some time had a long standing private competition between them, Mitch created security systems and Duo found a way around them. 

Mitch turned, sneered up at Duo and pulled his feet off the table to stand a full head length above Duo.

"Hey, Mitch! How ya doin'?" Duo slapped Mitch on the shoulder, or tried to. Mitch took it like always, slipping the slap with practiced ease and glaring at him in mock offense with practiced attitude. They were actually good friends though someone who didn't know the two wouldn't have thought so.

"How do you think I'm doin'?" Mitch growled back in a surly tone. He eyed Duo up and down.

"What's with the shades? You never used to put on airs, now your playing Mr Cool..." Mitch grunted with no lessening of temperament.

"Can't help it Mitch, my man!" Duo said taking them off. The lighting, though dim, made him squint some but after a bit he adjusted so he tucked them into his jacket pocket.

"Havin' eye problems, guess Mr Cool will have to move over." Duo said cheerfully steering Mitch back towards his table and settling them both down after shoving the books on the spare chair to the floor against Mitch's protests.

"Look, Mitch, I got a problem. My girl has been kidnaped along with a good bud of mine and all the usual channels are just catching static. You and I both know you have the best network of information around and I'll take anything you can give me. C'mon man, you owe me and besides, this oughta be fun!" Duo cajoled Mitch.

Mitch rolled his eyes and spoke out of the corner of his mouth even as he turned back to his computers and reached for a keyboard propped haphazardly on top of disk case and spare mouse and ear phones.

"Yeah, where have I heard that before? And Duo, I paid you back a long time ago! Remember that time with Jojo the drug dealer?"

"Doesn't count man, I had that one covered. Five more minutes and he woulda been so loopy he wouldn't have been able to identify his own mother!" 

"The one that was loopy was you! He had you!"

"Like heck he did! I was already free and ready to run!"

"Run, hah! You were so dizzy from the fumes from the Spike you set on fire you couldn't walk a straight line!"

"I could still see the door... I was home free!"

"Home free? With fatso blocking the door?"

"I coulda pushed him over with one finger, he doesn't count either!"

The bickering continued as Duo and Mitch got to work. 

An hour later Duo stepped outside armed with what info they had gotten together in such a short time (just the name of a possible contact but it was better than nothing) and only barely concealed his start of surprise when he saw Heero leaning against his motorcycle.

"What are you doing here?" Duo asked.

"Same as you." Heero replied as though the answer was obvious. He straightened up coolly giving Duo the once over. 

Duo shed his long coat and pulled his old black jacket from the saddlebags and packing the long coat in it's place, latching the saddle bags securely. He had tools of the trade in the bags that he really didn't want messed with. 

"Wufei finally got a lead and has gone undercover. I'm his only contact for the time being. Have you ever heard of an organization called Xnomen?" he asked as Duo picked up his helmet and slid it on. 

"Yep, I've heard of them. I'm going to have a talk with someone about them. This ought to be fun." Duo replied throwing his leg over the saddle.

Heero grunted something that might have been agreement while throwing a leg over the bike to Duo's surprise. Evidently Heero was coming along. 

Duo thought about protesting but gave up before he started. Heero was incredibly stubborn and Duo didn't have time to argue him out of it. And although Heero wasn't the usual in Duo's old circle of acquaintances, he'd blend in better than someone like, say, Wufei. Actually, if Duo were to take the time, he'd have to admit that he was glad to have Heero along. 

"Why Wufei? Why not Trowa? He's so much better at that kind of thing" Duo asked as he was strapping the helmet in place and rocking the bike off it's kickstand.

Heero shrugged, "It's personal with Wufei, his pride is important to him and besides, Trowa is still having trouble with his injuries."

Duo nodded his understanding.

Kicking the bike to life, Duo headed for a part of L2 he had no particular desire to ever visit again 

Once he got his bearings, it didn't take long for Duo to spot the place he was looking for. 

Stopping the bike a block down from the salvage yard, if you could call it that, they sat studying the place for a moment.

"Looks nothing like yours." Heero observed after a long moment of silence. Duo had to agree. Where his place was organized and neat, if you could call heaps of junk neat, everything was still pretty much in it's place; this salvage yard looked like a hazardous waste of scattered junk some of which even Duo couldn't see a use for it was so rusted and deteriorated. The place hadn't seen paint of any sort for several years and the gate, such as it was, looked like a gust of wind would blow it down.

"Suits him though." Duo replied after another long minute of surveying the place. Duo decided 'salvage' was too dignified. It was a junk yard straight and simple.

"You know him?" Heero asked curiously.

Duo nodded in distaste. Leaving the bike parked where it was, Duo hopped down and moved confidently towards the gate. 

Pausing in front of it, Duo prodded the right hand side gently with the toe of his boot. It trembled and collapsed inward.

"Now look what you did..." Heero said dryly behind him. "You murdered it."

Duo snorted and leaned forward, blowing the dust and dirt off the other half before touching it.

That half didn't even shiver before collapsing. He heard a muffled something he took for a laugh from Heero but pointedly ignored him as he gingerly stepped over the gate. Inside, though, Duo was treasuring the sound of Heero's rare laugh.

Towards the back they could hear the sounds of machinery and men. The 'office' was also lit up in the waning evening light though they could barely see through the piles of scattered junk. They separated, Duo for the 'office' and Heero to scout around.

The office door was in almost as bad a shape as the deceased gate so Duo just raised his foot and kicked it down. It went down with a crash and a stirring of dust startling the two men inside. The husky one on the right, Lexus, started up from the desk with a curse as the other man whom Duo didn't recognize, turned with a startled sound and lunged for him.

Waiting until it was almost too late, Duo leaned to one side leaving his foot very prominently in the way. Predictably, the man tripped and went sprawling in an undignified heap well beyond the doorway. 

Taking advantage of Duo's distraction, Lexus dived for the desk drawer where he kept his gun. Just as Lexus managed to snatch his gun up he heard the unmistakable sound of a cocking hammer.

Glancing up, Lexus growled, a snarl on his face but there was nothing he could do looking down the barrel of Duo's gun. 

Reluctantly, Lexus carefully laid his gun down on top of the desk, raising his other hand in an unwilling surrender.

The man just beyond Duo was getting to his feet but had clearly hit hard and had the breath knocked out of him. In spite of that fact, the man lunged staggering at Duo who simply took the step necessary to place himself just inside the doorway and brought his gun butt down on the man's head in a chop that sent him crashing to the floor. Returning his attention fully to Lexus who had snatched his gun up again, Duo simply shook his head disapprovingly at the standoff. 

Giving his gun a twirl, Duo tucked it away confidently. Lexus looked startled at that but refused to let up on his guard. Moving around the desk, he stood to face Duo more directly."What are you doing here and why?" Lexus demanded of Duo. 

Duo grinned at him. The smile unsettled Lexus, and he took a fresh grip on his gun. Absently, Lexus noted his hands were a bit clammy; somehow, dealing with Maxwell always did that to him!

"I need some info about an organization called Xnomen and heard maybe you could help me." Duo answered reasonably. 

Lexus snorted in disbelief. Was this kid off his rocker? Strike that, that was a given! The question was, how far off? And just how much did he know already?

"Oh, give me a break Maxwell! What kind of a fool do you think I am? You expect to come waltzing in here, say pretty please and just expect me to go spewing off about something like that... assuming I know anything that is!" Lexus snarled in disbelief.

"Maybe because if you don't... my friend Heero is gonna take you apart?" Duo asked suggestively. 

Lexus started to jerk around only to find a gun resting an inch from his nose with the coldest pair of eyes he'd seen in a while boring into him like they already knew all his secrets, everything held dear to him and every move he could possibly make. And it was a very large gun...

"As I was saying..." Duo finished up smoothly.


	3. An Old Nemesis

Chapter 2

An Old Nemesis

  
  


Two hours later, Duo was semi-permanently settled in his room which was now boasting an extra cot for Heero and a laptop he'd wheedled off Mitch that had promptly been appropriated by Heero.

The room was one Duo had used before as it was ideal for him, having an outside entrance out the back and kitchenette. 

Flopping down on the bed, Duo decided now was an ideal time to catch some snooze time while Heero worked away at the knot that was Xnomen.

Heero felt as if he'd sifted through a ton of material looking for info on the Xnomen. Lexus had not really had much to offer, only that he'd met with a man occasionally and sold information to him. But the man had always contacted Lexus and had paid in local currency. Other than a description of the man and a name, both of which Heero fairly expected to be faked, they had little to go on but the location of the meeting place. They would be checking it out the next day.

When 'asked' for specifics, Lexus had come up with a list of names that seemed to have no connection whatsoever. Politicians were right up there with plumbers and mechanics with ambassadors. He had no explanations for it. He'd said that when asked, he provided information and occasionally found people but that he was never told why and when he had tried to dig into his contact's business, he'd been warned off as if they knew what he was doing before he'd even done it. Apparently it had been a pretty nasty warning to have been as effective as it had been on a man of Lexus' level of curiosity.

Lexus had sworn he would not try that again no matter what methods of persuasion the Preventers used. He'd been dead serious and even though Heero was a natural at looking threatening without half trying, this Lexus was at least as scared of his shadowy partners as he was of Heero even with some creative 'persuasion' on Duo's part.

When Heero had accused him of it bluntly, Lexus had puffed up like a rooster and denied it. They both could see it in his eyes though. They had left soon after, having gotten all they could. It had been risky, leaving Lexus loose like that but they didn't have anything solid on him and had reluctantly decided that it was better this way; at least for the moment. They were supposed to be the good guys.

The man was too scared to help them directly but it had also been apparent that he'd wanted out of the business 'arrangement' and was willing to help indirectly as long as he could in no way be connected to anything. They both knew better than to trust him but he was their only contact and so they would have to work with what they had. 

Duo slept restlessly as Heero worked or so Heero thought. Then, at a quarter to one a.m. exactly, Duo stretched, yawned, swung his feet to the floor, grabbed his jacket, told Heero to hold down the fort and left abruptly.

Heero just grunted as his partner left, Duo had been a bit quieter than usual but not so much as to alert Heero that something was wrong and in fact, Heero had welcomed relative quiet. 

Soon he was absorbed in his search and didn't think anymore of it; that is, until he paused to stretch and realized that it was close to daybreak. After a moment of consideration, Heero shrugged to himself deciding that Duo could take care of himself. This was Duo's old stomping grounds after all and at any rate Heero didn't know where he might have gone. 

Stretching again, Heero decided to sleep on their problem for a couple of hours and had just reached out to shut the laptop down when he became aware of the muffled sounds of someone running down the alley outside their door. Swiveling sharply, Heero jumped up and moved to one side of the door, gun in hand and ready. 

He'd no sooner gotten himself into position when the door was slammed open and Duo dived through in an apparent panic and soaking wet, hastily shutting the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Heero asked glaring at Duo disgruntled. 

Duo glared back bringing unmistakable bloody knuckles to his mouth and then giving his hand a quick shake.

"Whatever you do, don't let that jerk in, got it Heero!?" Duo spat out a mixture of anger, disgust and something else Heero couldn't quite identify flashing across his face.

Outside, the door shook from someone's heated pounding and yelling could be heard plainly through the door.

"What? Why not?" Heero asked curtly in some confusion staring at Duo through narrowed eyes. Duo just couldn't stay out of trouble, even when they were supposed to be keeping a low profile!

"Because you'll regret it for the rest of your life, I'm not kidding Heero!" Duo growled angrily and headed for the kitchenette.

"Get rid of him before he wakes up the neighborhood!" Duo called back over his shoulder.

"It's your mess, you clean it up." Heero snapped in tired annoyance due to a night of no sleep.

Duo poked his head out of the kitchenette and looked Heero in the eye.

"No."

"No..." Heero repeated with narrowed eyes giving Duo a lethal glare. It had absolutely no apparent affect on Duo whatsoever.

"No." Duo affirmed glaring back and disappearing from view.

Heero slammed the door open venting his aggravation on it and interrupting the young man on the other side who had his fist raised for a fresh bout of pounding and yelling. An angry, bruised face, bloody nose and black eye explained Duo's fist. 

True to the mood of the situation, it was raining outside. Just one more thing to aggravate the perfect soldier as he got splattered by stray drops being blown his way by the cold wind. 

"What do you want?!" Heero asked him in a tone of voice that redefined 'icy'.

The young man leaned forward into Heero's face, eyes sparking angrily and completely oblivious or ignoring the danger plainly written in Heero's eyes. He was already wet through from the rain and focusing totally on Duo, thus the weather apparently was of no concern to him nor did he care that he was getting Heero splattered.

"I want Maxwell and I want him now! And don't try to deny it, I saw him come down this street and this is the only door! If he isn't a coward, he'll come out and face me instead of hiding behind his friends!!" the young man nearly snarled loudly and impatiently, raising his voice to be sure that Duo heard him.

Heero glared at him frigidly. The man had to be an idiot. Who else would stand there soaking wet just to pick a fight with Duo... just one more thing to lay to Duo's talent for trouble. Heero thought sometimes that although all the pilots seemed to attract trouble, Duo seemed to have made an art of it.

"So you didn't see this 'Maxwell' enter this doorway?"

"This is the only..." 

"You did not see this person enter this doorway?"

"No, but..." 

"If you did not see this person entering this doorway, I would suggest you leave before I lose my temper." Heero informed the kid silently telling himself I do not want to kill him, I do not want to kill him... 

The young man drew back slightly, aware that he'd crossed a very dangerous line when he felt the presence of a gun against his belly. A gust of wind blew rain on them afresh but neither of them seemed to notice.

The kid had guts, Heero had to admit in retrospect. Even when realization of his predicament dawned in the kids eyes, he never actually looked afraid. He just drew back slightly and carefully lowered his hands even with his shoulders in the age old sign of surrender. 

When Heero didn't blink or twitch, the young man carefully backed away and when he'd gotten a fair distance away, turned and carefully left.

Shutting the door hard, Heero wheeled, tucking his gun away in one smooth move, and strode into the kitchenette where Duo was bandaging up his hand. A wet towel draped across Duo's shoulders did little to stop his hair from dripping down the back of his jacket and onto the floor.

"Explanation!" was all Heero said snappishly. Nothing like short, sweet and to the point. Slightly wet from the blowing rain if not soaked, Heero started rummaging for a towel while waiting for his explanation. 

Duo looked up and grinned, in a better mood now that Heero had chased the intruder away.

"Good job Heero, now lets hope he stays away. You do death threats better than anyone I know..."

Heero cut him off even as he straightened up and swiped at his own slightly dripping hair with the towel.

"Explanation, Duo... now! And quit stalling! Who was he and how did you get involved in this when we're trying to keep a low profile?" Heero demanded as he briskly finished up with a few more swipes.

Duo looked back studiously to his hand as he put the finishing touches on it.

"Just someone who knew me from way back. I ran into him by accident." Duo replied faintly reluctant.

"And just why was he so hot after you?" Heero pressed unappeased.

"He knows how to hold grudges a looonng time." Duo grinned crookedly up at Heero. 

Heero's face darkened and Duo hastily held up his hands in mock surrender.

"I'm not joshin' with you Heero! That's all it is, a grudge!" Duo insisted. Finished with his hand, he started trying to dry his hair with his already damp towel.

"What kind of grudge?" Heero asked narrowly.

"Well... err... I kinda put him in the hospital with a broken nose. But that was a long time ago, I was just a kid!" Duo replied giving up on his hair for the moment and throwing his hands in the air.

"He's after you because you broke his nose when you were a kid?" Heero repeated in disbelief and he could sense unreality trying to set in. 

"Well, and then there was the time when he took my lunch money and lost his wallet soon after that. He blamed me for it strangely enough even though it was found the next day... minus my lunch money w/ interest." Duo looked at Heero with a look of innocence on his face.

"So you stole his wallet..." Heero summed up neatly.

"And then there was the time when he tried to stuff me in my locker. His somehow jammed a few days later... with all his books, lunch and gym clothes inside. They couldn't get it open for three days and then it smelled like a dump from all that spoiled rich food. He had to get new clothes too; too bad about his lucky sock. He blames me of course." Duo continued. 

"... of course..." Heero murmured.

"And then there was the time when he dumped glue over my books. The next day his hat mysteriously got stuck to his head. They couldn't get it off till they took the shears to it; man you shoulda seen his haircut!" Duo chuckled at the memory.

"It was the day after that they tried to take a scissors to my hair." Duo continued. "They could never pin me down though they sure tried hard enough. I was too fast for them. Those boys were the best in the league when it came to track." Duo reflected laughing a bit to himself. "It's amazing what people can accomplish with the proper motivation. Want me to continue?"

"I think I get the idea." Heero said dryly.

"So what exactly did he want with you?" asked with one eyebrow raised. Duo mumbled something under his breath. Heero glared at him anew.

"A duel, he wants a duel." Duo sighed but repeated himself, a little louder.

"A duel?" This, Heero wasn't expecting.

"Yup. For honor and all that."Duo snorted.

"Why don't you? That would, at least, settle things." Heero suggested forcefully and started to turn away, his offered solution the best and most practical one to Heero's mind.

"You kiddin' Heero?? He's a middleweight boxer, rated as an amateur but he's better than that! Besides, I've already fought him 13 times!" Duo exclaimed as he got up to follow Heero. Duo nearly bumped into Heero when his steps flagged briefly as he absorbed what Duo had just said.

"13 times... so why is he still upset?" Heero threw over his shoulder.

"Heero... he lost 13 times." Duo threw back. "I'm tired of fighting the guy, he doesn't know when to quit!!"

Heero couldn't help himself as he turned to look at Duo square on, resignation slowly overcoming the sensation of unreality that had stunned him briefly. 

'Only Duo could get himself into such a situation, only Duo!'was the single thought running through Heero's head.

After a moment, all Heero could do was shake his head as he started shucking his damp clothes in favor or something more comfortable to sleep in.

Duo was shedding his coat and boots, getting ready to follow Heero into dreamland for a few hours, when Heero spoke one last time. Duo had thought him asleep already.

"So if he's a middleweight boxer, how'd he lose?" Heero spoke up with his eyes closed.

Duo snorted again,"Hey, I know how to fight too! And if you can make him mad he gets sloppy. But what he lacks in intelligence he makes up for with sheer stubbornness. The only way to get him off my back is to lose him or lose to him and somehow I could never quite do the last one."

"Hunh. Well, it's still your problem, don't be counting on me to bail you out next time." and with that Heero rolled over and was asleep within moments. 

"Gee, thanks Heero you're all heart!" Duo muttered sarcastically under his breath as he prepared to follow Heero into dreamland.

  
  


It was late morning when they roused. Although Heero was usually up before any of the others, Duo was actually the lighter sleeper due to his years of running the streets. During his training as a Gundam Pilot, Duo had learned to catch sleep where he could when appropriate but he'd never really learned to sleep deeply. He'd soon learned in rooming with Heero off and on that once he'd identified the sounds as Heero he could shut the noise out and go back to sleep most of the time. Most of the time being the operative words.

Unfortunately, Heero had soon figured out these little quirks of Duo's and used them to his advantage when he thought it was time to be up and going. He knew exactly how much it would take before Duo had enough and would rouse in aggravation which always slid off Heero's back like water off a duck's. You could only wake up and go back to sleep so many times.

Today was one of those days. The noise Heero had made stirring about and then the laptop had gotten to Duo and he'd lain in bed letting his body come fully awake. He'd been dreaming again and although he didn't really remember what the dream had been about it hadn't been a nice dream and he had no wish to go back to sleep which was impossible now anyway with Heero up and about.

After snatching a few quick bites to eat, Heero and Duo headed out. Heero, in the lead, reached the door and opened it almost knocking a stooping and very familiar figure over. The young man jerked upright and scuttled backwards, nearly losing his balance.

Heero sensed a huff of something to his back but his attention was taken by the young man who straightened to his full height, narrowed his eyes at Heero and opened his mouth to say something. Heero interrupted him before he could say a word.

"What's your name?" Heero asked abruptly. The young man stared at him as if Heero had suddenly grown fangs and a tail.

"Errr...Canden Canefell" the young man answered warily.

"And you're looking for a Duo Maxwell." Heero stated more than asked. Canden narrowed his eyes and nodded curtly.

"He's right behind me and you're welcome to him." Heero said curtly. There was a yelp behind him of astonished betrayal. Canden snarled, eyes sparking, and started forwards only to have Heero hold up a hand in front of him. 

"There is one thing you had better understand though!" Heero raised his voice a bit but the snap alone was enough to get Canden's attention.

"Stalking and dueling hours are between 2 and 4 in the morning. Right now we have things to do." Heero said flatly leaving no room for arguing. Of course, Canden would have tried but before he could say a word, he took a second look at Heero's eyes and found his gaze being drawn to the fist of something deadly in Heero's coat pocket.

"No joke? Are you serious?" Canden asked sourly. He couldn't believe what a circus this was turning into. Who ever heard of dueling hours at that time of the day? But then things always had been a bit crazy around the Maxwell brat.

"No joke." Heero affirmed.

"All right, I'll see you then Maxwell!" Canden hissed and left with a sort of stiff pompous dignity.

Heero stared after Canden for a moment and then was interrupted by Duo who exploded in anger and betrayal.

"You know what you've done? He'll never leave us alone now! I told you you'd regret it! Did you listen? Noo, of course not..." Duo started to rant.

Heero cut him off.

"What I did, Duo, is get him off our backs for the time necessary to finish our task. Let's go or are you going to wait around for Wufei to rescue Hilde and Quatre by himself?" Heero asked in a tone of voice you'd take with a small child.

"Heero, you just don't get it do you? I'm going to be pounding the livin' daylights out of him every morning until we decide to leave!!" Duo growled in aggravation. Heero ignored him pointedly.

A moment of thought as he stared at Heero's unresponsive and fast vanishing back and Duo hurried to catch up shaking his head at the thought that had just occurred to him. Heero wouldn't have... would he? Yes... on second thought, Heero absolutely would do something like that on purpose!! 

  
  


*****

Wufei looked at the man under his shaggy fringe of hair. This was the man Anton Suyevski had been bragging about? This was his connection?

The man he was looking at was built like a body builder but due to all the massive muscle, was slow in his movements. 

Panchet, as Anton had called him, had surrounded himself with bodyguards... five of them to be exact. He was recalled back to the present by Anton's faintly slurred, braggadocio voice echoing off the empty warehouse walls as he tried to sell Wufei's talents to his important connection. The man could hold his liquor if he couldn't do anything else, Anton had drank a good deal of the first bottle and pulled out a second when the first was gone. He'd tucked it away for the moment.

"I'm serious man, this guy has got some serious talent! It only took him two minutes to wipe out the entire bar, man!" Anton insisted in a voice full of 'would I lie?' and hiccupped.

'What a braggart.' Wufei thought glumly. It had taken more than two minutes though not by all that much and had been considerably less than the entire bar. Anton, who thought he was helping, was only making things worse. If they took Anton serious and decided to test Wufei, he could be in trouble. 

If they didn't take Anton serious, he'd have to prove himself all over again. Either way meant a fight. Not that he minded that particularly; he simply wished to be well past this so he could get on with the rest of his mission. Not to mention his inevitable hangover.

Panchet turned lazily and looked Wufei up and down skeptically. Wufei bristled in slightly drunken offense at being looked over like so much meat. He was not soused, just a little tipsy!

Nodding to himself as he came to a decision, Panchet found himself a seat. Anton stationed himself close by and took it upon himself to become Wufei's one man cheering section as the five bodyguards spread out to surround Wufei at the snap of Panchet's fingers.

Wufei groaned to himself. He was aggravated, out of patience, and buzzed all thanks to this Anton guy. He'd kill him at first opportunity! 

Settling into a crouching stance, he slid back a bit keeping them somewhat lumped in front of him and trying to get a measure of them and their strengths and weaknesses.

The first one charged, a wink of light showing for an instant on his brass knuckles. 

'Brass knuckles? He who depends on weapons, borrow strength they themselves lack. He will be the first to go down.' Wufei thought as he blocked the first blow and launched his own attack, weaving, ducking, kicking and punching.

In spite of the fact that he was taking his fair share of punishment, the fact that they were crowding in around him was actually working to his advantage... most of the time, Wufei realized even as he blocked a blow from either side one right after another and took a hit from Brass Knuckles before he snapped kicked the man into the one right behind him. They were getting in each other's way.

Someone tried to sucker punch him from behind and Wufei did a back hook kick he knew connected hard even as his other foot was swept out from under him causing him to fall backwards. 

Twisting as he fell, Wufei used his momentum to launch himself off his hands to deliver a rapid succession of horizontal kicks in a semi circle that cause his victims to fall in a tangle of limbs and allowed him to work his way free of the others.

Allowing himself and them a brief respite while they untangled themselves, Wufei knew he could take them as a half formed idea slowly bubbled in his subconscious. 

Ordinarily, five against one with the skill level these guys had would cause some trouble no matter how good you were. But for once in his life, Anton had done something right and didn't even know it. 

Wufei needed to make an impression and Anton had already taken the first step. The idea at the back of his brain percolated some more and on some foreign impulse, Wufei switched tactics. He had to make himself unforgettable or this would all be for nothing.

(1) Changing his stance, Wufei adopted a swaying stance, hands held loosely in front of him, feet at an odd angle. This was an obscure and frowned upon art that he'd studied only for the sake of studying the differences in martial arts but for all that he'd held a low opinion of it's practicality, it was striking to watch and when done properly could be extremely effective. 

The ludicrousness of his weaving held the men for only a second and then someone yelled "Get him!" which was all well and good if you could pin him down. 

Wufei was weaving all over the place, taking down two of the men by springing off of his hands and kicking up repeatedly in an odd diagonal one-two move called the Drunken Monkey. Another man rushed up behind him, so Wufei abruptly bent over backwards and jabbed the man at the throat with cupped fingers in a strike called Down the Hatch. The man gagged and fell back out of the way.

A third man rushed up behind him and flung both his arms around Wufei's while another came at Wufei from the front. Using the man who was holding him as a counter balance, Wufei did a sweeping one-two kick on the guy in front of him. The man holding him staggered slightly as he suddenly had the whole of Wufei's moving body weight to support but just as he found his balance, Wufei stomped down on the man's foot, set himself, and pistoned his arms hard. When he had the man's grip loosened up just enough, he forcefully bounced off of his attacker to lurch forward meeting the guy in front who had recovered from the kick with a double feint to the eyes ending with the real thing, first and last fingers extended in a Snake Eye strike. The man reeled back in yelling in agony and clutching his eyes with both hands.

Wufei swayed around in a drunken fashion to face off with the man who had grabbed him from behind who lunged forwards dishing out some very nasty looking punches and kicks, none of which connected as it was impossible to predict where Wufei would be next as he weaved and bobbed. Then Wufei lurched forward and blocking the immediate punches as if they were nothing, he grabbed the man's necktie and proceeded to use it to strangle the man even as he pounded several blows of his own in the man's face with his other fist.

The man frantically started trying to get loose, tugging, pulling and feebly trying to block the maniac on the end of his tie until Wufei yanked him down till they were nose to nose, spun him around, picked him up by his legs and necktie over his head then dumped him down on the hard floor. (Waterfall anyone? C'mon... doesn't it look fun?)

Wufei sensed still another attacker coming at him from the side and spun to face him still lurching around. This man was actually good enough to connect with several of his blows, but the buzz in Wufei's system deadened the affect and seemed not to phase him at all as he blocked and bobbed. Not being able to readily get through the other man's defenses very well Wufei backed up a bit, made as if to lunge at him and jumped the other man in an airborne corkscrew head butt (2). The man, who had never seen anyone try such a crazy stunt much less in the middle of a fight, didn't react fast enough and was plowed under.

Wufei flipped to his feet just in time to meet the fresh onslaught of one last guy. Block, punch, block, kick, two hand strike at the man's neck which he blocked lashing out in return which Wufei blocked which the man somehow managed to use to trap Wufei's hand. In trying to get his hand free Wufei got turned part way around, the man pounding on him all the way. Giving the man a vicious elbow than a backfist to the face backed the man up a bit leaving him wide open for Wufei's back kick that left him balanced on one foot as if he were playing a flute on one leg. Gasping and stunned, the man backed up joining his buddies at staring at Wufei who just grinned at them cheekily still balanced on one foot.

Nursing their various bruises and bumps the men just stood there looking at Wufei until he squared off to face them, staggering slightly, silly grin on his face as he twisted his hand from a snake eye strike into a 'come on' gesture. They all flinched to a man and moved back, clearly they'd had enough.

Dead silence as Panchet and Anton both looked on in something of a stupor, Panchet leaning forward incredulous silence as Anton's mouth gaped open and he showed no signs of recovering anytime soon. 

For a moment Wufei wondered if Anton was even breathing, then Panchet stirred which brought Anton around in a gasp of air. 

Yep, Anton had forgotten to breath while they were being treated to the show of a lifetime. 

Never turning away, Panchet flicked his gaze briefly at his men and back to Wufei.

"He's hired." Panchet blurted abruptly.

Anton whooped then dashed out in an access of drunken joy to Wufei to pound him on the back until Wufei moved away out in sheer self defense. 

Wufei was rather proud of himself, he hadn't killed anyone and although he could detect several things in his technique to be improved upon, overall Wufei thought he'd done remarkably well considering the last time he'd had a chance to practice such an art was right before Master O had come on the scene. When his hand-to-hand combat instructor had caught him using such techniques, he'd promptly laid such discipline on Wufei as to make him never even remotely consider trying the Art again... until now. In the back of Wufei's brain, behind the buzz, some distant self was appalled at the whole situation and swearing he'd never, ever do this again. 

Outwardly, Wufei was still grinning to himself as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, the cool metal of one set of brass knuckles warming slightly to his hand. He wondered how long till the man knew he was missing them. Ah, well, that was enough for tonight he thought as he followed a drunkenly jabbering Anton out into the night alongside Panchet and his bodyguards who twitched every time Wufei moved and kept themselves crowded around Panchet with a definite emphasis on the side away from Wufei.

Yep, Sally would be proud of him this time! He'd done it!! And I must be drunker than I thought!!! Wufei grumbled to himself in the back of his mind. Then an awful thought occurred to him that made him miss a step.

'...if Maxwell ever hears of this....'

  
  
  
  


A colony away, as Duo matched pace with Heero, he sneezed unexpectedly. Shaking his head Duo mournfully considered the possibilities of coming down with a cold thanks to last night's excursion which he soon forgot as they paused in front of the place they were looking for. If they were lucky, maybe they'd even find this Bo Russeau fellow on their first try! 

  
  
  
  


  
  


(1) Kudos to anyone who knows what I'm trying to show in print which is woefully inadequate... and if you are having a hard time following me, try renting or even better yet buying Jackie Chan's 'The Drunken Master 2' as my descriptions don't do this style of Martial Art justice! I forget what the rating is, I think it's R for Violence but it's just because it's full of fighting as JC does a superb job of showing this unique and very real style of Chinese Martial Art. And it's funny too, I don't think you'd regret it... and in a way, no I can't see Wufei doing this but on the other hand, yes I can too... for very special occasions only! :) I wonder...if drunken boxing is the real thing, does that mean I need a disclaimer? 

Ah, well, here goes: Additional Disclaimer: any references or likenesses to Jackie Chan's Drunken Master 2 is because I never knew Drunken Boxing existed until I saw his movie. I'm limited in my research. But if you want to know more there is a web site that explains Drunken Boxing in more detail.

This address http://jackiechan.stareastnet.com/eng/main.jsp and you have to look under Kung Fu School.

I am, as usual, not making any money or anything else for that matter, off of this or any other story or parts therein and will not be in the near or distant future.

As for the Art of Drunken Boxing itself, I understand that it is, in fact, the real thing and not to be tried at home or anywhere else preferably. As explained in JC's movie, the practice of drunken boxing often turned the practioners into true drunkards and I'm not in anyway shape or form promoting that. 

I simply find the concept fascinating and Jackie Chan does such a good job of showing what it's about..LOL

(2) Now this one I don't think is physically possible to do but Jackie sure made it look good!! LOL It's a movie after all.

  
  
  
  
  
  



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